Aided by cooler temperatures and reduced wind speeds, firefighters battling the small but dangerous Sheep fire south of Essex kept the flames from advancing Monday. But temperatures are on the rise, and fire officials warn there remains an even chance that flames will jump U.S. Highway 2, and could still potentially move to within Essex town limits.

“Our models are showing that fuel dryness is worsening,” fire information officer Sonja Hartmann said of the extreme fire conditions in the area. “All fuels are becoming more available daily. It really is historic dryness out there.”

A report issued by the U.S. Forest Service Tuesday morning estimated the Sheep fire’s size at 607 acres with zero percent containment. The fire is burning in steep terrain and heavy timber about a mile south of Essex.

More than 200 structures in the area are threatened, and all 60-plus residents of the mountain town remain in the “set” stage of Flathead County’s evacuation plan — with their automobiles packed and ready to go at a moments notice if the sheriff’s office calls for an immediate evacuation.

Thus far no buildings have been destroyed, but a seven-mile stretch of Highway 2 was closed for several hours on Aug. 20, as flames reached the edge of the roadway. Highway 2 since has reopened, with pilot cars escorting traffic in both directions through the fire area.

On Monday, up to 70 firefighters were moved in to fight the Sheep fire aboard a Burlington Northern Santa Fe work train, with Forest Service helicopters overhead dropping water and flame retardant.

Crews built firebreaks in the McDonald Creek Drainage, aided by logging equipment also supplied by BNSF.

“Burlington Northern has offered up all of their resources and are actively helping as part of our incident management team at this point,” Hartmann said.

Firefighters were aided by a break in the weather.

“The predicted fire weather watch, with gusty winds, did not materialize,” the Forest Service report states. “Smoke lingered until late afternoon, keeping the fire cooler and less active.”

However, this likely will be only a temporary respite as fire conditions are expected to worsen in the immediate days to come.

“Isolated thunderstorms are expected for Wednesday through Friday,” states the report. “Temperatures are on the increase through this coming week under an unusual high pressure, with highs predicted 80-90 degrees in the valleys.”

Oddly enough, smoke from fires burning further west in Washington is helping to reduce daytime highs around Essex and dampening the volatility of the Sheep fire.

“It’s very smokey and this is keeping solar radiation off the fire,” Hartmann said. “It’s also keeping helicopters grounded when it gets bad, so there’s a flip side to it.”

Because of its proximity to Essex, the Sheep fire is a top priority for Montana firefighters, but with resources stretched thin it likely will require repeated rain events to completely douse the flames.

“Usually we have an end of season event that stops our fires,” Hartmann said, “typically about half an inch of precipitation over three- to five days. Our experts modeling this are telling us it’s going to take multiple half-an-inch events to get us out of this fire season.”

“It’s an epic fire year across our area,” she added. “It’s going to be a long haul for the West.”